Destination 》Asia 》Central Asia 》Kazakhstan 》Charyn Canyon
Year Visited: 2019 – July
During my travel through Kazakhstan, I made an overnight trip to the Charyn Canyon from Almaty. There was no public transport available for visiting the Canyon. You will need to arrange a private vehicle or organized tour to reach here. A local friend helped me arrange a seat on a 4×4 vehicle. We left Almaty after midnight and arrived at the canyon before sunrise. I highly recommend you visit this canyon very early morning for two reasons. First, the sunrise view is breathtaking over the canyon. Second, and perhaps more importantly, the canyon is located in a desert. Right after sunrise, it is extremely hot. After 9 or 10 AM, it will be very difficult for you to hike in the canyon.
Charyn Canyon is a 80 kilometer long canyon on the Charyn River, just 200 kilometers east of Almaty, close to the border with Kyrgyzstan and China. The Valley of Castles is the most famous part of the Charyn Canyon. Since 2018, the basin of the Charyn river, the canyon valley and adjacent desert areas is recognized as a UNESCO MAB Biosphere Reserve.
While coming back to Almaty, we visited Bartogay Lake, located in the middle of the desert. When I visited, the wind was so powerful that you could see water from the lake surface rising up into the sky to become part of a cloud. First time in my life I’ve seen anything like this––incredible!
After spending a wonderful day and half in the desert, we came back to Almaty just before the dinner.
Window on the World 